Speak Up For Chained Dogs in New York

A bill that would limit tethering in New York was introduced earlier this month by New York City Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr.

“Chaining a dog and leaving it for hours is fair neither to the dog nor the people that must walk past it. This type of abuse can turn the nicest pet into an attack dog. We must send a message that this is no way to care for an animal,” said Vallone.

There are only a few communities that have regulations regarding chaining of dogs, and only a few states have banned it entirely. Dogs can be left outside with no food, water or access to shelter for their entire lives. They can suffer from inclement weather, attacks from other animals or die hanging themselves.

Chained dogs also pose a threat to their communities, and especially children. The National Canine Research Council reports that nearly 30% of all fatal dog attacks involve chained or penned dogs. Isolation at the end of a tether can lead to frustration and aggression for an incredibly social pack animal.

Intro. 425 in New York will limit the time for a dog to be tied to three hours in a 12 hour period. Warnings will be given for first time offenders, a $250 fine for a second offense and a $500 fine and/or three months in jail for a third offense.

Violations can be handed out by the NYPD, veterinarians at the Department of Health and employees of the ASPCA.

Sign Care2’s petition asking the New York City Council to limit dog chaining and pass Intro 425.

Over half of U.S. dogs and cats are now overweight or obese, reports a recent study conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. One-fifth of dogs and cats are obese — weighing 30% over a healthy weight. America’s obesity epidemic is apparently not just affecting humans.

Overweight pets suffer from a multitude of health issues including diabetes, kidney failure, and cancer. Last year, pets owners with one insurance company paid vets $25 million to treat obesity-related conditions such as asthma.

So who’s to blame? According to The Wall Street Journal, pet owners and food manufacturers may be partially responsible. Although pet owners might have good intentions (or perhaps think their pet looks a little cuter when he waddles), overweight animals come most often from owners who overfeed their pets or don’t exercise them frequently.

A number of pet owners have been accused of animal cruelty for starving a pet, such as the recent arrest of a woman from Queens whose pit bull weighed just 18 pounds. But it’s only recently that overfeeding a pet has been considered perhaps animal cruelty as well. In what was deemed one of the first cases of it’s kind, David and Derek Benton were convicted in 2007 for animal cruelty after they allowed their dog Rusty to become grossly overweight. The Labrador was twice the normal weight for a dog of his breed, suffered from painful joints and breathing problems, and struggled to stand up.

As for pet food manufacturers, they aren’t required to list calories on their food labels unless the product advertises a low calorie content — there is now a proposal to change this. Also, feeding directions are listed for the pet’s “most demanding” life stage, meaning the directions may lead to overfeeding by 25%.

The good news is that many vets consider animal obesity to be the most preventable pet health crisis facing the U.S. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention recommends calculating calories for your pet. The website petobesityprevention.com lists the calories for many food brands. Aim for small high-protein, low carbohydrate meals. Also, make sure that your pet gets enough exercise every day. For dogs, this means 20 to 30 minutes of brisk walking, and for cats, 5 to 15 minutes of short periods of an activity like chasing a toy.

What do you think? Should a pet owner be held responsible for his pet’s weight?

WATCH the pet obesity epidemic:
Pet Obesity Video

Should I Feed My Dog Raw Food?

Before adding raw foods to your dog’s diet, review the pros and cons.

Holistic vets I know (including yours truly) have long felt that feeding raw, meaty foods is the best way to help ensure long-term and whole-body health for dogs of all ages. Veterinarians report that after starting a meat-added diet, many dogs shuck all sorts of diseases, including arthritis, obesity, skin and gastrointestinal conditions, and immune-related diseases. In addition, many dog owners report that dental conditions (especially tartar accumulations) go away, and their dogs seems to have more vitality. Some dog owners even report a change in behavior from an anxious or aggressive dog to one that is more calm and relaxed.

In my own experience, if I can convince dog owners who are reluctant to home-prepare all their dog’s meals to just add a bit of raw meat (1 tablespoon per 10 to 20 pounds of dog) to their dog’s diet on a daily basis, many of the diseases I’m trying to treat with my “doctor magic” magically go away. Raw meat is the single most effective “remedy” I have used, which I admit, sometimes makes me feel a little insignificant.

I’ve had some clients who have not felt comfortable feeding raw foods, and I still recommend that they add meat, cooked slightly. These clients also seem to have good results, although I don’t feel the results are quite as dramatic.

However, many people, including some veterinarians and dog owners, believe raw meat is associated with potential dangers.

Potential problems from raw foods include:
• Bacterial contamination. Raw foods have been shown to be contaminated with bacteria, including Salmonella and E. Coli, and in some cases, the rate of contamination may be significant. (One report found 16 percent of all chickens on the market were contaminated with Salmonella.)
• Zoonotic concerns Dogs that ingest bacteria, even those dogs that don’t show signs of disease themselves, may pass the bacteria into the environment where it can infect humans.
• Parasites. Parasites (and their eggs and larvae) that would likely be destroyed by cooking, may be present in raw meat, and could infect pets.
• Intestinal upset. Some dogs develop loose stools when fed a raw diet.
• An incomplete diet. It has been noted that some of the published raw meat and bones diets do not contain all the AAFCO-standard nutrients, and that some dogs fed these diets have developed bone abnormalities due to the insufficiencies.

These are legitimate concerns, although most can be avoided with some extra care.

Animal experts remind us that the canine intestinal tract is adapted to handle meats that have been contaminated with bacteria. Dogs have a shorter intestinal tract and thus a shorter digestive time and higher acid in the stomach. Clinical disease in dogs is uncommon, and when actual disease occurs, it is most often associated iwth hospitalization, another infection or debilitating condition, or exposure of large numbers of bacteria of bacteria in puppies.

Cooking destroys most pathogens, but we still occasionally see contaminated processed foods. Proper meat-handling techniques – washing hands, food dishes and meat-processing areas after handling meat and keeping meats frozen or refrigerated until used – minimize contamination problems.

Common-sense dog handling (washing your hands after handling a pet) lessens the chance for zoonotic diseases. Although it’s possible for the bacteria to pass from the dog into the environment, the extent of the problem is unknown. Verified reports of salmonella infections transmitted from dogs to humans have been rare.

Pre-freezing of meats eliminates some, but not all, parasites.

Most intestinal upsets are transitory and can be attributed to the dog adapting to the new diet. However, some may indicate an acquired bacterial infection – at this time we don’t have enough information to be certain which is the most likely cause.

The final objection to raw diets is on the basis that they may not be a complete diet. This fits into the controversy of whether our dogs have inherited their evolutionary “wolf ways,” or have adapted to our diets of cooked carbohydrates and processed foods. There’s no shortage of advocates on either side of this controversy, but it’s hard to dispute the fact that the canine’s basic gastrointestinal and dental anatomy has stayed the same throughout the evolutionary process, along with the basics of the canine soul that wants to socialize around a good session of bone chewing.

De-Stress Your Traveling Dog Holistically

All-natural remedies to calm your dog while on the road.

Does your dog turn into a whimpering pile of mush whenever you try to take it for a drive? Traveling is daunting when your best friend throws up on the upholstery, then attaches itself to your brake foot. If you approach the problem holistically, however, travel for the two of you can be downright fun. Ask yourself these questions:

Is your dog healthy?
Be sure it has no illnesses affecting its ability to travel. Stress, fearfulness, anxiety and disorientation can be caused or aggravated by a number of health problems, including chemical or hormonal imbalances and food allergies. “Biochemical imbalances, hypothyroidism, etc., can all impact negatively on the animal’s ability to cope with stress,” said Suzanne Clothier, a holistic trainer in St. Johnsville, N.Y. “Such problems should be addressed and corrected.”

Why is your dog becoming carsick?
If you have eliminated the obvious, the cause could be stress, sensitivity to movement, fear or more subtle problems. Clothier recommends a chiropractic checkup. “I’ve seen dogs who were poor travelers change dramatically when they were adjusted,” she said. “It seems that subluxations [incomplete dislocations] in the neck, particularly at the atlas [the first vertebra of the neck], can contribute to motion sickness or uneasiness, possibly due to inner-ear disturbances.”

Your dog may also be reacting poorly to different water or unfamiliar food. Carry a supply of both from home. Make sure your dog has plenty of water in the car, and provide additional water about every two hours at rest stops. Also, as with humans suffering from motion sickness, it may help if the dog sits facing forward and has access to fresh air.

Some veterinarians recommend withholding food six to eight hours before travel, but this can be difficult if your dog is used to being fed in the morning or requires regular meals to keep its body systems balanced. Instead, try a motion sickness preventive. Holistic-minded pet owners use ginger to soothe tummy turmoil. Ginger capsules, bulk dried ginger or ginger extracts are available at health food stores and some supermarkets.

Read the directions on the label and reduce the dose proportionally, according to the weight of your dog. For example, according to a general dosing rule from herbalist Gregory Tilford of Animal’s Apawthecary in Conner, Mont., if the dose on the label is for a 150-pound man, divide by the weight of your dog say 25 pounds, which equals one-sixth the dose on the label. If you need to increase the dose, do so in increments of 10 percent, but go no higher than 50 percent above your starting point, Tilford said. You can mix the dried or powdered herb into a small amount of food or add the extract to a little water and administer it with a dropper two to three times daily. If you are unsure of the dosage, ask a veterinarian experienced in using herbs on animals or an herbalist experienced in dosing animals.

Is your dog comfortable traveling in its crate?
Some crave the comforting close quarters of a crate; others enjoy riding unfett ered. Some dogs prefer to see where they are going; others do not. Watch your dog’s reaction. Perhaps you should cover the crate, leaving plenty of space for ventilation. Or try a wire crate or a seat belt and harness set. Whichever method you choose, don’t let your dog have the run of the car.

If you stop suddenly or have an accident, an unsecured dog could crash into the windshield or be thrown around the interior of the car. In addition, a loose dog could cause an accident by interfering with your driving. Your dog should be in a secured crate or tucked into a special harness that buckles into your car’s seat belt system. The seat belt-and-harness set works best for dogs heavier than 25 pounds; smaller dogs should be safely placed in a crate.

Is your dog afraid of the car or crate?
If your dog is afraid of entering the car or uncomfortable being in a crate, you may need to go back to a gradual, positive introduction, combined with therapies and remedies to reduce your dog’s stress during retraining. T-TEAM, a calming massage treatment, or even affectionate stroking and petting can calm your dog before, during and after car travel or a session with the crate.

In addition, calming flower remedies, such as Rescue Remedy or Five-Flower Formula, work well for some dogs. “Rescue Remedy is good for some; for others, it doesn’t work,” Tilford said. “Some individual flower remedies work in certain situations. You may need to consult a flower essence practitioner for additional advice on the best remedies for your situation. Administer these in con-junction with any training sessions according to the directions on the label  in your dog’s water, rubbed on its ears or muzzle or as part of a misting spray.”

Finally, calming herbs can de-stress training sessions. Tilford recommends valerian, skullcap and oat straw as extracts, dried or fresh. Some veterinarians recommend chamomile, but Tilford believes the herb may not be the best choice. “Chamomile might work; it’s hard to say. It would be best in a tea, added to some salt-free broth.” Steep about 1 teaspoon of the dried herb or 3 teaspoons of fresh herb in about 1 cup of hot distilled water for 10 to 30 minutes. Strain the herb and add 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons to broth two to three times daily.

To accustom your dog to travel and its crate, start gradually and keep the session positive. Make the crate attractive by adding your dog’s favorite blanket and toy. Toss a treat into the crate, encouraging your dog to retrieve it. Do this a few times a day. When the dog seems comfortable going into the crate, feed it its meals in the crate with the door left open. Once the dog is accustomed to this, close the door while it is eating for brief periods. Gradually extend the time you leave the dog in the crate with the door closed. Repeat this process until the dog is comfortable being in the crate for a few hours.

Months before your trip is scheduled, accustom your dog to car travel. Lure it into the car with a treat and praise it highly for entering. (Leave the door open.) Do this daily for about a week, then put the dog into its crate or seat belt harness for short periods. Next, take short car trips that end with an enjoyable event, such as a romp in the park or a hike in the woods. Slowly extend the length of the trips, until the dog is comfortable spending several hours traveling with you.

How well trained and socialized is your dog?
Is it used to strangers and new situations? Did you take it to puppy kindergarten and obedience classes? If your dog does not respond readily to the basic commands — Sit, Stay and Come  you may need professional help resocializing it. Dogs that enjoy new faces and places are less likely to be stressed and more likely to be happy travelers. Ask your veterinarian and friends for referrals to a dog trainer.

How well do you travel?
Are you tense and edgy when driving? Do you yell at other drivers and shake your fist at delays? You may be unknowingly transferring your stress to your dog.

Clothier counseled one tense owner, whose dog traveled hunched fearfully, to relax and sing as she drove. “To my delight, she wrote me immediately, noting that as she began to pay attention to her own attitudes while driving, she discovered that indeed she was holding her breath, clenching the wheel and sitting rigidly,” she said.

“She relaxed her hands, focused on her breathing, sat back more comfortably and began to sing whatever songs popped into her head. To her amazement, her dog first watched her with a raised eyebrow, then visibly relaxed, curled up on the seat next to her and slept peacefully all the way home.

Microwave Doggie Doughnuts – Dog Treat Recipe

• 2 cups Whole wheat flour
• 3 tbs. Oatmeal
• 1 Egg; lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. Garlic powder
• 2/3 cup Beef or chicken broth

Place flour in a bowl, add egg and broth, mix well. Blend in oatmeal and garlic powder. Roll dough into a ball, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2″ thick. Cut with small doughnut cutters. Reroll scraps and repeat. Shape last bits by hand. Arrange rings on a shallow baking dish or on a sheet of parchment paper in a single layer. Cook on high 10 minutes or until firm. Let cool until hardened. Store in covered container when doggies not looking

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